Quoted message said:Thank you for putting me right on that one, Victor. I suppose that in
these days of everything seeming to be available everywhere, parsnips
can be found. But, in truth, I have never encountered them in French
cooking. And although I've no wide experience of Germany my 'cooking'
friends there have never heard of them (these were in Prussia).
There is a nice article about parsnips from the (semi) French
perspective at
<http://www.atelier-vert.com/aupotager.tmpl?SKU=316104542199>.
At <http://frenchfood.about.com/od/soupspotages/r/carrotparsnip.htm>
and <http://www.atelier-vert.com/cuisine.tmpl?SKU=3094418839166480>
there are nice recipes for respectively potage aux carottes et aux
panais (carrot and parsnip soup) and carottes et panais braisées
(braised carrots and parsnips). See below.
If you read German, I can point you to lots of parsnip recipes.
Victor
Potage aux Carottes et aux Panais
Carrot and Parsnip Soup
INGREDIENTS:
7 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups coarsely chopped carrots
2-1/3 cups coarsely chopped parsnips
1-3/4 cups chopped green onion
1 shallot, chopped
4 cups cold water
8 sliced day old French bread
1/2 cup cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
PREPARATION:
1. Put 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and heat over low heat. Add
the carrots, parsnips, onions and shallot and sauté for 5 minutes.
2. Add the water, turn the heat to high and bring just to a simmer.
Reduce heat, cover and cook about 40 minutes or until the carrots are
soft. The parsnips should be very soft at this point. Remove from heat.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes.
4. Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add
the bread cubes and toss to coat with the butter.
5. Spread the bread cubes out in an single layer on a baking sheet and
bake for about 15 minutes or until brown. Set aside.
6. While the bread cubes are baking, purée the soup in batches if
necessary. Return the soup to a clean saucepan, reheat and season to
taste with salt and pepper.
7. In a small saucepan, gently heat the cream, but do not allow it to
boil.
To serve:
Ladle the soup into 4 soup plates and sprinkl e with the crouton s. Pour
the hot cream in a small pitcher and pass to add to the soup as desired.
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Slow-cooked carrots and parsnips (Carottes et panais braisées)
Ingredients:
6 carrots (about 1 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/8" coins
4 small parsnips (about 1 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/8" coins
1/2 lb. small "boiling" onions, or equal amount fresh green onion
bulbs (e.g. scallions that start to make small bulbs at the
base) from your garden, peeled
2 T. unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Bouquet garni of 5 flat parsley springs, several leafy thyme sprigs,
and a bay leaf
6-8 leafy sprigs of chervil, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
In a heavy, medium-sized enameled iron or copper pot or dutch oven, melt
the butter over medium heat. Toss in the carrots, parsnips, and onions.
Stir gently with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, the
bouquet garni, and the salt. Mix and cook 1 minute. Cover the casserole
with its lid upside down, unless you happen to have a casserole with a
water-reservoir in its lid. In either case, fill the lid with water.
Reduce the heat to very low, and cook for 1 hour. Check the vegetables
from time to time, stirring gently to make sure they're not sticking and
adding a bit of water if they are. Refill the water in the lid, which
causes steam from the vegetables to condense and stay in the pot rather
than escaping. Serve in a pretty, wide, heated dish, sprinkled with the
chervil and a couple of grindings of pepper. Serves 4.
It's easy to forget the goodness of humble root vegetables among the
constant parade of exotic supermarket produce which offers everything
all the time. But for those who enjoy--or want to evoke--the pleasures
of seasonality, this dish makes a succulent accompaniment to fish or
roast meats during the cold winter months. If the roots come from your
own garden stock, so much the better.
